Wireless Local Area Network Hotspot Registration Using Near Field Communications

ABSTRACT

A first device that includes a processor configured to transmit/receive a trigger message to/from a second device based on wireless short-range communication. The trigger message initiates a registration process within a wireless local area network (WLAN).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/417,658 filed Mar. 12, 2012 by Stephen McCann, et al. entitled,“Wireless Local Area Network Hotspot Registration Using Near FieldCommunications” (Attorney Docket No. 42663-US-PAT-4214-60900), which isincorporated by reference herein as if reproduced in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to network communications and,more particularly, to methods and apparatus that utilize Near FieldCommunication (NFC) to register with external networks in wirelessnetwork environments.

RELATED ART

The background description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent it is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description that may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentdisclosure.

Wireless local area network (WLAN) locations or environments aresometimes known as “hotspots” in reference to a location or environmentthat is within communication range of WLAN signals. Such exemplary WLANlocations or environments include coffee shops, retail stores, homelocations (e.g., homes and apartments), educational facilities, officeenvironments, airports, public transportation stations and vehicles,hotels, etc. Such WLANs are often implemented as access networks thatprovide access to the Internet and may be associated with, or supportaccess to, external networks (e.g., WLAN-supported networks) ownedand/or operated by subscription-based service providers.

Wireless devices may negotiate connection, credential and otherinformation with the external networks through a WLAN hotspot to enableregistration of the wireless devices with the external networks. Currentregistration techniques rely on user involvement typically through theuse of a user interface to register a wireless device with an externalnetwork either prior to visiting a WLAN hotspot or when the wirelessdevice comes within communication range of the WLAN hotspot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure, reference is nowmade to the following brief description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like referencenumerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary communication network in accordance to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a message flow for a NFCtrigger operation in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a message flow for a NFCtrigger operation in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a NFC hotspot initiation inaccordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts another exemplary embodiment of a NFC hotspot initiationin accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an emergency communicationsupport operation in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 depicts another exemplary embodiment of an emergencycommunication support operation in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary wireless terminal in accordance with thepresent disclosure; and

FIG. 9 depicts an exemplary access point in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrativeimplementations of one or more embodiments of the present disclosure areprovided below, the disclosed devices, systems and/or methods may beimplemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known orin existence. The components in the figures are not necessarily toscale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles ofthe disclosed technology. Moreover, in the figures, like referencednumerals designate corresponding parts or elements throughout thedifferent views. The following description is merely exemplary in natureand is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, oruses. As used herein, the phrase “coupled with” is defined to meandirectly connected to or indirectly connected through one or moreintermediate components. Such intermediate components may include bothhardware and software based components. Further herein, the term“coupled with” is defined to mean directly connected to or indirectlyconnected through one or more intermediate components.

Wireless network deployments such as wireless local area networks(WLANs) are often implemented as access networks that provide access tothe Internet and may be associated with, or support access to, externalnetworks (or WLAN-supported networks) owned and/or operated bysubscription-based service providers. Wireless local area networks(WLAN) locations or environments are commonly referred to as “WLANhotspots” in reference to a location or environment that is withincommunication range of WLAN signals. Wireless devices may negotiateconnection, credential and other information with the external networksthrough a WLAN hotspot to enable registration of the wireless deviceswith the external networks.

As noted in the background, current techniques or standards such asthose defined in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) 802.11 require user involvement to register a wireless devicewith a local network or an external network. The experience associatedwith these techniques or standards for registering a wireless device toa local network or external network via an access point of a WLANhotspot can be quite frustrating to a user. For example, a user of awireless device is typically required to manually input registrationinformation such as credentials, wireless device information, personalinformation (e.g., name and postal address), payment information (e.g.,credit card number, account number, pre-paid account number, couponnumber, etc.), terms and conditions acceptance, etc. using a user-inputinterface or display on the wireless device.

By way of introduction, the disclosed apparatuses and methods describedherein are related to the registration of wireless devices with localnetworks and/or external networks via wireless network environments(e.g., WLAN hotspots). For the sake of simplicity and brevity, thepresent disclosure will discuss the registration of a wireless devicewith an external network via an access point of a WLAN hotspot. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the apparatuses and methods ofthe present disclosure may also be used to register a wireless devicewith a local network via an access point of a WLAN hotspot.

The present disclosure utilizes short-range communications technologysuch as Near Field Communication (NFC) to “trigger” (i.e., initiate orprompt) the automatic registration of a wireless device with an externalnetwork through a WLAN hotspot without requiring a user of the wirelessdevice to manually input or provide registration information via thewireless device. As discussed in detail below, in various embodiments,registration of a wireless device with an external network may beautomatically initiated based on the wireless device being within orcoming into “range” (i.e., positional proximity enabling thecommunication of data) of a NFC-enabled device or passive NFC devicesuch as a NFC tag or card.

The wireless devices utilized in the present disclosure may includemobile communication devices, mobile computing devices, or any otherdevice capable of communicating wirelessly with a wireless network. Suchdevices may also be referred to as terminals, wireless terminals,stations (STAs) or user equipment (UE), and may also include mobilesmart phones and tablets (e.g., a BlackBerry® smart phone or BlackBerry®Playbook), wireless personal digital assistants (PDA), machine tomachine equipment, equipment within a smart grid (“SmartGrid”),equipment within a mesh network (an ad-hoc or peer network),laptop/notebook/netbook computers with wireless adapters, etc.

The registration and/or connectivity of the wireless device with anexternal network (e.g., subscription service provider network (SSPN) ora hotspot provider) via a wireless network may occur through standardsthat define access, control, and communications in networks, such as thecommunication standard known as IEEE® (Institute for Electrical andElectronics Engineers) 802.11. Alternatively, the network registrationand connectivity may be subject to other parts of the IEEE 802.11standard and other wireless communication standards or specificationsincluding WLAN standards including any IEEE® 802.xx standard (e.g. IEEE802.15, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.19, IEEE 802.20, and IEEE 802.22),personal area network (PAN) standards, wide area network (WAN)standards, cellular communication standards, or the Wi-Fi Alliance®(WFA) Hotspot 2.0 specifications (also referred to as Wi-Fi CERTIFIEDPasspoint™).

Registration of the wireless device with an external network may beimplemented in many environments providing WLAN access for networkconnectivity or in WLAN access locations or environments in which it maybe expected that one or more users carrying respective wirelessterminals will associate with (i.e., join or connect to) anddisassociate from a wireless network, access point, or WLAN as theyenter and exit the WLAN access locations or environments. As discussedabove, some WLAN locations or environments may be known as “hotspots” inreference to a location or environment that is within communicationrange of WLAN signals. WLAN locations or environments may include coffeeshops, retail stores, home locations (e.g. homes and apartments),educational facilities, office environments, airports, publictransportation stations and vehicles, hotels, etc.

Such WLANs are often implemented as access networks that provide accessto publicly accessible networks and may be associated with, or supportaccess to, external networks (or WLAN-supported networks) owned and/oroperated by subscription-based service providers. For example, anexternal network can be owned and/or operated by an Internet-accessservice provider or a telecommunications carrier/service provider thatprovides subscription-based Internet access for a fee (e.g., a monthlyfee). In some systems, a subscriber/user may subscribe to such a serviceand can use wireless network access and/or Internet-access servicesbased on such a subscription when the subscriber is in communicationproximity of the WLAN with an appropriate wireless device. In someinstances, different WLANs may provide access to different types ofnetwork information. For example, some WLANs may provide access toparticular subscription service provider networks, and some WLANs maysupport roaming agreements to allow connections from wireless terminalsassociated with different SSPs.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary system architecture thatimplements the apparatus and methods of the present disclosure is shown.In the present embodiment, the system architecture includes a WLANaccess location 102 having an access point (AP) 104 that provides access(i.e., communication) to a private network 106 (e.g., WLAN-supportednetwork or external network). The WLAN access location 102 and theprivate network 106 respectively communicate with a short-rangecommunications technology-enabled device. For example, in the presentembodiment, a NFC-enabled device 108 is employed. The NFC-enabled device108 is integrated as a component of the WLAN hotspot infrastructure (notshown) through path B or through path C to the private network 106 asillustrated in FIG. 1. Paths B and C may respectively be secure wired(e.g., USB link) or secure wireless (e.g., Bluetooth) connections. TheNFC-enabled device 108 may be positioned at various locations within aWLAN access location 102 or close to the WLAN access location 102 (i.e.,not within the WLAN access location 102). For example, the NFC-enableddevice 108 may be positioned at an entry point into a coffee shop,amusement park, or metro system or perhaps near a point of sale (POS) orpoint of purchase (POP). In various embodiments, text, branding, decal,and/or a logo may be placed on the NFC-enabled device 108 to indicate tousers that the NFC-enabled device 108 is connected to or associated witha WLAN hotspot. The text, branding, decal, and/or logo may be utilizedin conjunction with all WLAN hotspots or alternatively just with WLANhotspots configured in accordance with the WFA Hotspot 2.0specifications.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various embodiments of thesystem depicted in FIG. 1 of the present disclosure may utilize othershort-range communication technologies including, but not limited to,BLUETOOTH®, ZIGBEE®, wireless Universal Serial Bus (USB), or anultra-wideband (UWB) technologies. Furthermore, although the presentembodiment depicts a single WLAN access location 102, a single privatenetwork 106, and a single NFC-enabled device 108, a variable number ofWLAN access locations 102, private networks 106, and NFC-enabled devices108 are contemplated.

NFC technology is typically used for contactless short-rangecommunications based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) standards,using magnetic field induction to enable communication betweenelectronic devices such as wireless terminals (e.g., wireless terminal110). NFC, as standardized in ECMA-340 and ISO/IEC 18092, incorporatesexisting standards including ISO/IEC 14443A, ISO/IEC 1443B, and FeliCa,all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. ANFC-enabled device such as a wireless terminal typically includes an NFCintegrated circuit (IC) chip (or simply referred to as a NFC chip) thatcommunicates to such devices as existing ISO 14443 smart cards, tags,readers and/or other NFC-enabled devices and is compatible with anyexisting contactless infrastructure. The NFC chips use magnetic fieldinduction where two loop antennas are located near each other and forman air-core transformer. The technology operates on the unlicensed radiofrequency industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band of about 13.56megahertz (MHz) and has a bandwidth of about 2 MHz. The working distance(i.e., the range) is usually about 0 to 20 centimeters. A user of theNFC-enabled device brings the NFC-enabled device close to (i.e., withinproximity of) another NFC-enabled device or passive NFC device toinitiate NFC communication, with data rates ranging from 106 to about424 kilobits per second (kbit/s). Passive NFC devices (in somescenarios, referred to as “target” devices) may be implemented invarious form factors such as tags, stickers, key fobs, or cards. Asnoted above, the NFC protocol operates within the globally available andunregulated radio frequency band of 13.56 MHz and has a working distanceof up to 20 centimeters. Three data rates are typically available inaccordance with the NFC protocol: 106 kbit/s, 212 kbit/s, and 424kbit/s. The NFC protocol enables multiple modes of communication betweendevices. For example, an NFC-enabled device may operate in reader/writermode, Peer-to-Peer mode, or in Card Emulation mode. In reader/writermode, a NFC-enabled device is capable of reading NFC Forum-mandated tagtypes. In Peer-to-Peer mode, a NFC-enabled device can exchange data withanother NFC-enabled device. In Card Emulation mode, the NFC-enableddevice appears much like a contactless smart card to an external reader.An NFC tag is typically a passive NFC device that stores data capable ofbeing read by an NFC-enabled device. In the present disclosure, thewireless terminal 110, in addition to the NFC-enabled device 108, isconfigured as a NFC-enabled device. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that, in various embodiments, the wireless terminal 110and/or the NFC-enabled device 108 may alternatively be configured topassive NFC devices or target NFC devices.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in various embodiments, the private network106 may be a subscription service provider network (SSPN) owned oroperated by a data subscription service provider, Internet subscriptionservice provider, media (e.g., audio/video) subscription serviceprovider, wireless communications subscription service provider, or anycombination thereof. The private network 106 may be connected to theInternet (not shown) and may, for example, provide subscription-basedInternet access to wireless terminals. In some implementations, roamingagreements between different subscription service providers may enablethe private network 106 to support roaming connections for wirelessterminals associated with other subscription service providers.

The WLAN access location 102 illustrates a wireless terminal 110 inwireless range of the AP 104. The wireless terminal 110 is furtherdescribed with respect to FIG. 8. The AP 104 connects with the privatenetwork 106, which may provide a direct or indirect connection to othernetworks (not shown), including publicly accessible network like theInternet. Further, in various embodiments, the AP 104 and/or thewireless terminal 110 may communicate with the NFC-enabled device 108(also referred as the NFC pad 108 or NFC touchpoint 108). The AP 104(also referred to as a WLAN AP) is provided with an AP station (i.e., anAP STA), which is the interface or component, such as a network adapteror network interface card (NIC), that provides access to distributionservices via a wireless medium for associated stations (e.g., non-APSTAs). In the illustrated examples described herein, the AP 104 includesan AP STA, while the wireless terminal 110 that communicates with the AP104 includes a non-AP station (i.e., a non-AP STA). Further, thewireless terminal 110 includes one or more NFC components (e.g., a NFCchip, NFC tag, smart card, and/or other NFC hardware, software, and/orfirmware required to configure the wireless terminal 110 to be anNFC-enabled device). In other embodiments, the NFC component may belocated external to the wireless terminal 110 and may be tethered to(i.e., in communication with) the wireless terminal 110 by a securewired (e.g., USB) or a secure wireless (e.g., Bluetooth) connection.

NFC components such as NFC tags may securely store data associated witha user of a wireless terminal. In the present implementation, the NFCcomponent contained within the wireless terminal 110 stores credentialinformation associated with a user of the wireless terminal 110 and/orthe wireless terminal 110 itself. For example, the credentialinformation stored by the NFC component may include, but is not limitedto, identifiers and types of authentication parameters such as variouscredentials types (e.g., SIM, USIM, eUICC, NFC Secure Element, HardwareToken, Softoken, Certificate, username/password) that may be required bythe wireless terminal 110 for registration with a WLAN hotspot. Asdiscussed in with reference to FIG. 4, different values (e.g., “0”, “1”,“2”, etc.) may be utilized to indicate different credential types thatmay be provided by the wireless terminal 110. In other embodiments, theNFC component may add or alternatively securely store personal data suchas a user name, residence address, email address, telephone number,debit and credit card information, loyalty program data, PINs and/ornetworking contacts, etc. Currently, NFC tags are categorized into fourdifferent types. NFC tags are categorized into these four types based oncharacteristics such as compatibility, dimensional size, memory size,price, and content type (e.g., static content or dynamic content).

The WLAN access location 102 may be associated with different hotspotregistration plans. Each hotspot registration plan includes a set ofregistration parameters indicative of registration information requiredof the wireless terminal 110 to register with the private network 106through the AP 104 based on that registration plan. The registrationplans and their corresponding sets of registration parameters can beselected by the owner or operator of the private network 106 based ondifferent factors such as, for example, subscription usage plans,desired security levels, business objectives, etc. Registrationinformation may include a user name, residence address, email address,telephone number, debit and credit card information, loyalty programdata, PINs and networking contacts, etc. Accordingly, to connect withthe AP 104, the wireless terminal 110 must meet the criteria specifiedby the owner or operator of the private network 106, otherwiseconnection with the AP 104 is not allowed. Different registration plansmay be related to different network access charging/pricing structuresor different wireless device roaming agreements. For example, theprivate network 106 may allow registration of wireless terminals basedon less or no registration information.

As shown generally in connection with the WLAN access location 102, thewireless terminal 110 can communicate a registration request message 112to the AP 104. In response to the registration request message 112, thewireless terminal 110 receives a registration response message 114,transmitted from the AP 104, which includes one or more selectableregistration plans (Reg Plans) 116. Each registration plan 116 includesa respective set of registration parameters indicative of registrationinformation required by the private network 106 to allow the wirelessterminal 110 to register therewith. The wireless terminal 110 thencommunicates a registration information message 118 to the AP 104. Theregistration information message 118 includes a selected (e.g.,user-selected or terminal-selected) registration plan 116 as well as theregistration information indicated as required by the selectedregistration plan. After the AP 104 verifies with the private network106 that the registration information provided via the registrationinformation message 118 allows or does not allow network registration ofthe wireless terminal 110, the AP 104 communicates a registration statusmessage 120 to the wireless terminal 110. The registration statusmessage 120 indicates to the wireless terminal 110 whether networkregistration was successful or failed. In addition, if the networkregistration failed, the registration status message 120 can alsoinclude a listing of the invalid registration information that causedthe network registration failure. In this manner, the wireless terminal110 may provide different information in place of the registrationinformation indicated as invalid. In other embodiments, the wirelessterminal 110 may choose to select or request an alternative registrationplan 116.

In the present embodiment, the wireless terminal 110 and the AP 104exchange the messages 112, 114, 118, and 120 while operating in a“registration” state (e.g., while the wireless terminal 110 isregistering with the AP 104, the wireless terminal 110 being in apre-associated state relative to the WLAN hotspot). The WFA Hotspot 2.0program defines the registration state as the period in which a mobiledevice is setting up (e.g., registering or initiating) an existing ornew subscriber account with a service provider or hotspot provider toobtain WLAN access. For example, registration of a mobile device (e.g.,the wireless terminal 110) may be initiated when the mobile deviceinitially comes within range of a NFC reader (e.g., NFC-enabled device108). In other embodiments, re-registration of the mobile device may beinitiated following the expiration (or revoking) of the user'scredentials.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary embodiment of a messageflow for a NFC trigger operation for WLAN hotspot registration (alsoreferred to herein simply as hotspot registration or WLAN registration)is discussed in more detail. When the wireless terminal 110 is withincommunication range of the NFC-enabled device 108 (i.e., close to orwithin the WLAN access location 102), at 202, a trigger message istransmitted over path A from the NFC-enabled device 108 and is receivedby the NFC component within the wireless terminal 110. The triggermessage serves to identify the NFC-enabled device 108 as part of theWLAN hotspot infrastructure. The trigger message transmitted by theNFC-enabled device 108 may include an element such as a service setidentifier (SSID) that identifies the WLAN hotspot available within theWLAN access location 102. For the sake of simplicity and brevity, thepresent disclosure will discuss obtaining access to a single WLANhotspot although a variable number of WLAN hotspots (i.e., wirelessLANs) may be available within the WLAN access location 102. For example,the NFC-enabled device 108 may simultaneously transmit SSIDs ofdifferent WLAN hotspots. Further, in the present disclosure, an“element” may constitute a parameter, value, information element,identifier, or other data or information. The trigger message mayfurther include an element (e.g., a NFC device identifier (device ID))that uniquely identifies the NFC-enabled device 108 and an element suchas a network identifier that identifies the network (e.g., local networkor external network) to which the WLAN hotspot is connected to orassociated with. Examples of a network identifier include, but are notlimited to, homogeneous extended service set identifiers (HESSIDs),public land mobile networks (PLMNs), network access identifier (NAI)Realms, organization identifiers (OIs), fully qualified domain names(FQDNs), Domain Names, and/or Friendly Names.

Upon receiving the trigger message, the wireless terminal 110 maydetermine whether to initiate the registration process discussed inFIG. 1. In other words, the NFC connection between the NFC-enableddevice 108 and the wireless terminal 110 may trigger a hotspotregistration process. In order to initiate the hotspot registrationprocess, at 204, the wireless terminal 110 transmits a WLAN registrationrequest message to the AP 104. The wireless terminal 110 includes thedevice ID received from the NFC-enabled device 108 within the WLANregistration request message. Upon receiving the WLAN registrationrequest message (with device ID), the AP 104 can identify theNFC-enabled device 108. At 206, the AP 104 utilizes the device ID in averification check message to verify (i.e., validate) whether theNFC-enabled device 108 is securely connected to or securely associatedwith the WLAN hotspot infrastructure The verification check message maybe transmitted over paths B or C to the NFC-enabled 108. If the deviceID cannot be validated by the NFC-enabled device 108, at 208, an errormessage may be transmitted by the NFC-enabled device 108 to the AP 104indicating that the hotspot registration process should be terminated.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, another exemplary embodiment of amessage flow for a NFC trigger operation for WLAN hotspot registrationis discussed in more detail. When the wireless terminal 110 is withincommunication range of the NFC-enabled device 108 (i.e., close to orwithin the WLAN access location 102), at 302, the wireless terminal 110is configured to transmit a trigger message over path A to theNFC-enabled device 108. In the present embodiment, the wireless terminal110 is configured to automatically transmit the trigger message when thewireless terminal is within range of the NFC-enabled device 108 thoughother configurations of operation of the wireless terminal 110 areanticipated. The trigger message transmitted by the wireless terminal110 includes an element (e.g., a mobile ID) that identifies the wirelessterminal 110. In response to receiving the trigger message, at 304, theNFC-enabled device 108 transmits a trigger response message to thewireless terminal 110. The trigger response message may include the SSIDthat identifies the WLAN hotspot available within the WLAN accesslocation 102 as well as the device ID that uniquely identifies theNFC-enabled device 108, a network identifier that identifies a network(e.g., local network or external network) to which the WLAN hotspot issecurely associated with or securely connected to, and a mobile ID.

The wireless terminal 110 may validate the trigger response messagereceived from the NFC-enabled device 108 against the trigger messagethat the wireless terminal 110 initially transmitted. More specifically,the wireless terminal 110 may determine whether the mobile ID receivedwithin the trigger response message is the same as the mobile IDtransmitted by the wireless terminal 110. If the mobile ID received fromthe NFC-enabled device 108 is incorrect (i.e., if the mobile ID receivedfrom the NFC-enabled device 108 is not the same as the mobile IDtransmitted by the wireless terminal 110), the wireless terminal 110 mayreject messages from the NFC-enabled device 108. In various embodiments,other elements such as a random unique identifier or an encryptedversion of the mobile ID may be used in place of the mobile ID in thetrigger message and trigger response message. A random unique identifieruniquely and randomly identifies each respective transaction (i.e.,message) transmitted from the NFC-enabled 108. An encrypted version ofthe mobile ID may include a nonce (i.e., a random or pseudo-randomnumber used to “sign” an encrypted communication).

Referring back to FIG. 3, upon receiving the trigger response message,the wireless terminal 110 may determine whether to initiate the WLANregistration process discussed in FIG. 1. If the wireless terminal 110elects and/or is configured to initiate the WLAN registration process,the wireless terminal 110 transmits a WLAN registration request messageto the AP 104 at 306. The wireless terminal 110 includes the device IDreceived from the NFC-enabled device 108 within the WLAN registrationrequest message. Upon receiving the WLAN registration request message(with device ID), the AP 104 can identify the NFC-enabled device 108.Within message 308, the AP 104 utilizes the device ID in a verificationcheck to verify (i.e., validate) whether the NFC-enabled device 108 issecurely associated with or securely connected to the WLAN hotspotinfrastructure. The verification check message may be transmitted overpaths B or C to the NFC-enabled device 108. If the device ID cannot bevalidated by the NFC-enabled device 108, at 310, an error message may betransmitted by the NFC-enabled device 108 to the AP 104 indicating thatthe WLAN registration process should be terminated.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 4, an exemplary embodiment of a NFC hotspotinitiation operation is discussed in more detail. In this embodiment,the NFC-enabled device 108 operates to commence the WLAN registrationprocess between itself and the WLAN hotspot. As described below, the NFChotspot initiation operation of the present embodiment enables the WLANregistration transactions (e.g., messages 112, 114, 118, and 120)described in FIG. 1 to be communicated between the NFC-enabled device108 and the wireless terminal 110 using path A. When the wirelessterminal 110 is within communication range of the NFC-enabled device108, at 402, a trigger message is transmitted over path A from theNFC-enabled device 108 and is received by the NFC component within thewireless terminal 110. The trigger message serves to identify theNFC-enabled device 108 as securely connected to or securely associatedwith the WLAN hotspot infrastructure. In the present embodiment, thetrigger message transmitted by the NFC-enabled device 108 includes aSSID, a device ID, and a network identifier.

As previously discussed with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, upon receivingthe trigger message, the wireless terminal 110 determines whether toinitiate the WLAN registration process. If the wireless terminal 110elects and/or is configured to initiate the WLAN registration process,the wireless terminal 110 transmits a WLAN registration request messageto the NFC-enabled device 108 using path A at 404. The WLAN registrationrequest message includes “device information” (Device info) such as, butnot limited to, identifier(s) and/or authentication credential typesassociated with the wireless terminal 110 and/or the NFC-enabled device108. For example, the WLAN registration request message may include acredential type value of “7” which indicates that a username andpassword pair (i.e., a type of credential) is present and available inthe wireless terminal 110. In other words, credential values (e.g., theactual username and password stored at the wireless terminal 110) arenot transmitted to the NFC-enabled device 108. The WLAN registrationrequest message is encapsulated (i.e., contained within) a NFC DataExchange Format (NDEF) message during transmission to the NFC-enableddevice 108.

Upon receiving the WLAN registration request message (including deviceinformation), the NFC-enabled device 108 processes and converts the WLANregistration request message into a NFC hotspot initiation requestmessage. The NFC hotspot initiation request message includes the deviceinformation transmitted from the wireless terminal 110. At 406, theNFC-enabled device 108 commences the WLAN registration process, asdescribed with reference to FIG. 1, using either path B or C. In otherwords, messages 114, 118, and 120 are relayed from the wireless terminal110 to the NFC-enabled device 108 over path A and then furthertransmitted from the NFC-enabled device 108 to the AP 104. Similar tothe WLAN registration request message, messages 114, 118, and 120 areencapsulated within respective NDEF messages during transmission to theNFC-enabled device 108.

In the present embodiment, communications between the NFC-enabled device108 and the AP 104 via paths B or C are transmitted over a transportprotocol (e.g., extensible authentication protocol or session initiationprotocol) and not over the WLAN hotspot air interface. In other words,the WLAN hotspot air interface is not utilized for the WLAN registrationtransactions (e.g., messages 112, 114, 118, and 120). Therefore, in thepresent embodiment, an operator of the WLAN hotspot may only accept WLANconnections from pre-registered users. In accordance with thisembodiment, a WLAN hotspot may be configured such that each user mustbring their respective wireless terminal within range of a NFC-enableddevice prior to using (i.e., associating with) the WLAN hotspot. Forexample, wireless terminals that previously associated with the WLANhotspot may utilize this embodiment to verify whether their respectivecredentials and/or subscriptions are still valid. If the credentialsand/or subscriptions of a given wireless terminal are no longer valid,the wireless terminal may be prompted to re-register with the WLANhotspot.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, another exemplary embodiment of theNFC hotspot initiation operation is discussed in more detail. In the NFChotspot initiation operation of FIG. 5, the trigger message originatesat the wireless terminal 110. Specifically, when the mobile terminal 110is within communication range of the NFC-enabled device 108, at 502, atrigger message is transmitted over path A from the wireless terminal110 and is received by the NFC-enabled device 108. The trigger messagetransmitted by the wireless terminal 110 includes a mobile ID thatidentifies the wireless terminal 110.

In response to receiving the trigger message, at 504, the NFC-enableddevice 108 transmits a trigger response message to the wireless terminal110. In the present embodiment, the trigger response message includes aSSID, a device ID, a network identifier, and a mobile ID. As describedwith reference to FIG. 3, the wireless terminal 110 may validate thetrigger response message received from the NFC-enabled device 108against the trigger message that the wireless terminal 110 initiallytransmitted using the mobile ID. Furthermore, in various embodiments,other elements such as a random unique identifier or an encryptedversion of the mobile ID may be used in place of the mobile ID in thetrigger message and trigger response message. Steps 506 and 508 of FIG.5 are respectively identical to steps 404 and 406 of FIG. 4. As such, adetailed description of steps 506 and 508 is omitted herein.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 6, an exemplary embodiment of an emergencycommunication support operation is discussed in more detail. Forexample, the present embodiment may be utilized to facilitate emergencycommunications such as, but not limited to, emergency calls and/or SMSmessages when a user of a wireless terminal does not have authorization(i.e., the access rights) for the WLAN hotspot. In some embodiments, theNFC-enabled device 108 may be configured specifically for supportingemergency communications over path A. In other embodiments, the user ofthe wireless terminal 110 may request (e.g., depressing an emergencybutton, selecting an emergency option from a user interface, issuing avoice command, etc.) emergency services/communications from the wirelessterminal 110 at about the same time or prior to coming within range ofthe NFC-enabled device 108 with the wireless terminal 110. This requestwould also be communicated over path A from the wireless terminal 110 tothe NFC-enabled device 108. In various embodiments, emergency triggermessages may be transmitted (simultaneously or at distinct times) overpaths B and C indicating to the WLAN hotspot that support for emergencycommunications and/or services may be required.

Referring back to FIG. 6, when the mobile terminal 110 is withincommunication range of the NFC-enabled device 108, at 602, theNFC-enabled device 108 transmits an emergency trigger message to thewireless terminal 110 over path A. The emergency trigger messagetransmitted by the NFC-enabled device 108 may include an element (e.g.,SSID) that serves to identify the WLAN hotspot along with a uniqueidentifier element (e.g., a device ID) for the NFC-enabled device 108.Other information such as emergency call phone numbers and/or dialingdigits as well as emergency service uniform resource names (URNs) thatare used to reach emergency services (e.g., an emergency responder orpublic safety answering point) specific to the geographic area of theWLAN hotspot may be provided via the emergency trigger message. Further,information indicative of the WLAN hotspot location and venue type mayalso be provided. In fact, the present disclosure anticipates providingany information within the emergency trigger message that is mandated toconform to emergency regulations specific to the locale of the WLANhotspot.

At 604, the wireless terminal 110 transmits an information message tothe NFC-enabled device 108. Depending on emergency regulations specificto the locale of the WLAN hotspot, either an identity of the terminal110 and/or an identity of the user of the terminal 110 or possibly noidentity information may be required to initiate an emergency call bythe wireless terminal 110. As such, in the present embodiment, theinformation message may include device information (e.g., a mobile ID)and/or user information that respectively identify the wireless terminal110 and/or the user of the wireless terminal 110. At 606, theNFC-enabled device 108 transmits an emergency request message thatincludes the device information of the wireless terminal 110 to the AP104 (i.e., the WLAN hotspot) using path B or C. The emergency requestmessage requests emergency access to the WLAN hotspot for the wirelessterminal 110. In the present embodiment, registration with the hotspotmay not be required. In other words, registration by the wirelessterminal 110 with the WLAN hotpot may not be a prerequisite to beingprovided emergency access to the wireless terminal 110. Upon receivingthe emergency request message, the hotspot infrastructure verifies theidentity of the wireless terminal 110 and the validity of the emergencyrequest. Upon verifying the identity of the wireless terminal 110 andthe validity of the emergency request, the hotspot infrastructure allowsan emergency communication session to commence between the wirelessterminal 110 and a local or an external private network (e.g., theprivate network 106) via the AP 104 at 608.

Important to note is that emergency access (i.e., emergencycommunications) is only enabled for the specific wireless terminal 110that transmitted the initial emergency request message. Further, othertraffic (e.g., communications other than emergency communications) tothe WLAN hotspot may be halted and/or classified as having a lowertransmission or delivery priority relative to the emergencycommunication session. In other words, the communications associatedwith the emergency communication session are given higher priority dueto their urgent nature.

In some embodiments, prioritization of the emergency call session may beaccomplished by providing direct WLAN open access to the wirelessterminal 110 using source address filtering. In other words,communications originating (i.e., “sourced”) from device addresses otherthan that of the address of the wireless terminal 110 would be filtered(e.g., halted and/or moved to a lower priority). The address of thewireless terminal 110 may be transmitted to the AP 104 as part of thedevice information within the information message prior to initiation ofthe emergency communication session.

In other embodiments, prioritization of the emergency call session maybe accomplished by utilizing a unique registration plan 116 such as anemergency registration plan. The emergency registration plan 116 mayinclude registration parameters such as “Information” or “Plan Type”,“Online Sign-up”, “AccessTimeLimit”, “Payment Required”, and“Provisioning Required”. The “Information” or “Plan Type” registrationparameter may be populated as “Emergency”. The “Online Sign-up”registration parameter may include fields for providing a full name(first name, last name) parameter and/or a user name parameter. The“AccessTimeLimit” registration parameter may be populated as “24 hours”.The “Payment Required” registration parameter may be populated as “No”.The “Provisioning Required” registration parameter may be populated as“No”.

In some embodiments, the emergency registration plan 116 may only beselectable by the user of the wireless terminal 110 based on anactivation of an emergency application at the wireless terminal 110thereby trying to prevent fraudulent use of communications services fornon-emergency use.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 6, and 7, another exemplary embodiment of anemergency communication support operation is discussed in more detail.In the present embodiment, the wireless terminal 110 initiates anemergency trigger message. When the wireless terminal 110 is withincommunication range of the NFC-enabled device 108, at 702, the wirelessterminal 110 transmits an emergency trigger message to the NFC-enableddevice 108. The emergency trigger message includes an element (e.g., amobile ID) that identifies the wireless terminal 110 and/or the user. At704, in response to receiving the emergency trigger message, theNFC-enabled device 108 transmits an emergency trigger response messageto the wireless terminal 110. Like the emergency trigger message of FIG.6, the emergency trigger response message includes an element (e.g., aSSID) that serves to identify the WLAN hotspot along with a uniqueidentifier element (e.g., a device ID) for the NFC-enabled device 108.The emergency trigger response message further includes a mobile ID.

The wireless terminal 110 may validate the emergency trigger responsemessage received from the NFC-enabled device 108 against the emergencytrigger message that the wireless terminal 110 initially transmitted at702. More specifically, the wireless terminal 110 may verify whether themobile ID received within the emergency trigger response message is thesame as the mobile ID transmitted by the wireless terminal 110. If themobile ID received from the NFC-enabled device 108 is incorrect (i.e.,if the mobile ID received from the NFC-enabled device 108 is not thesame as the mobile ID transmitted by the wireless terminal 110), thewireless terminal 110 may reject messages from the NFC-enabled device108. In various embodiments, other elements such as a random uniqueidentifier or an encrypted version of the mobile ID may be used in placeof the mobile ID in the emergency trigger message and emergency triggerresponse message. Steps 706 and 708 of FIG. 7 are respectively identicalto steps 606 and 608 of FIG. 6. As such, a detailed description of steps706 and 708 is omitted herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary wireless terminal 110 as shown inFIG. 1. The wireless terminal 110 includes a processor 802 that may beused to control the overall operation of the wireless terminal 110. Theprocessor 802 may be implemented using a controller, a general purposeprocessor, a digital signal processor, dedicated hardware, or anycombination thereof. The processor 802 may include a central processingunit, a graphics processing unit, a digital signal processor or othertype of processing device. The processor 802 may be a component in anyone of a variety of systems. For example, the processor 802 may be partof a standard personal computer or a workstation. The processor 802 maybe one or more general processors, digital signal processors,application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gatearrays, servers, networks, digital circuits, analog circuits,combinations thereof, or other now known or later developed devices foranalyzing and processing data. The processor 802 may operate inconjunction with a software program, such as code generated manually(i.e., programmed).

The wireless terminal 110 also includes a terminal message generator 804and a terminal data parser 806. The terminal message generator 804 maybe used to generate registration transaction messages such as messages112, 114, 118, and 120 depicted in FIG. 1. The terminal data parser 806may be used to retrieve data from memory (e.g., random access memory810, etc.). For example, the terminal data parser 806 may retrieve theregistration plans 116 that may be cached in the wireless terminal 110after receipt from a WLAN.

In the illustrated embodiment, the terminal message generator 804 andthe terminal data parser 806 are shown as separate from and connected tothe processor 802. In alternative embodiments, the terminal messagegenerator 804 and the terminal data parser 806 may be implemented in theprocessor 802 and/or in a wireless communication subsystem (e.g., awireless communication subsystem 818). The terminal message generator804 and the terminal data parser 806 may be implemented using anycombination of hardware, firmware, and/or software. For example, one ormore integrated circuits, discrete semiconductor components, and/orpassive electronic components may be used. For example, the terminalmessage generator 804 and the terminal data parser 806, or partsthereof, may be implemented using one or more circuits, programmableprocessors, application specific integrated circuits, programmable logicdevices, field programmable logic devices, etc.

The terminal message generator 804 and the terminal data parser 806, orparts thereof, may be implemented using instructions, code, and/or othersoftware and/or firmware, etc. stored on a machine accessible medium andexecutable by, for example, a processor (e.g., the processor 802). Theterminal message generator 804 or the terminal data parser 806 may bestored on or include a tangible storage medium or memory. For example,the terminal message generator 804 or the terminal data parser 806 maybe implemented in software stored on a memory that is executable by theprocessor 802. Alternatively, the terminal message generator 804 and/orthe terminal data parser 806 may be implemented in hardware withsoftware functions. The memory for storing software associated with theterminal message generator 804 and/or the terminal data parser 806 mayinclude, but is not limited to, computer readable storage media such asvarious types of volatile and non-volatile storage media, includingrandom access memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory,electrically programmable read-only memory, electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic tape or disk,optical media and the like. In one embodiment, the memory may includethe random access memory 810 for the processor 802, or may be anexternal storage device or database for storing recorded ad or userdata. Examples include a hard drive, compact disc (“CD”), digitalversatile disc (“DVD”), memory card, eUICC, memory stick, floppy disc,universal serial bus (“USB”) memory device, or any other deviceoperative to store ad or user data. The memory is operable to storeinstructions executable by the processor 802.

The wireless terminal 110 may include a flash memory 808, a randomaccess memory 810, and/or an expandable memory interface 812 coupledwith the processor 802. The flash memory 808 may store computer readableinstructions and/or data. In some embodiments, the flash memory 808and/or the RAM 810 may store the network information 120 from FIG. 1 andinstructions for communicating that network information 120. Theprocessor 802 may be coupled with the memory (e.g. the flash memory 808,or the RAM 810) for storing software instructions executable by theprocessor 802. The memory may include, but is not limited to, computerreadable storage media such as various types of volatile andnon-volatile storage media, including random access memory, read-onlymemory, programmable read-only memory, electrically programmableread-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, flash memory,magnetic tape or disk, optical media and the like. The functions, actsor tasks illustrated in the figures or described herein may be performedby the programmed processor 802 executing the instructions stored in thememory. The functions, acts or tasks are independent of the particulartype of instruction set, storage media, processor or processing strategyand may be performed by software, hardware, integrated circuits,firm-ware, micro-code and the like, operating alone or in combination.Likewise, processing strategies may include multiprocessing,multitasking, parallel processing and the like.

The wireless terminal 110 may include a security hardware interface 814to receive a SIM card from a wireless service provider. A SIM card maybe used for network discovery communications including authentication ofthe wireless terminal 110 for establishing a connection with aWLAN-supported network. The wireless terminal 110 may be provided withan external data I/O interface 816. The external data I/O interface 816may be used by a user to transfer information to the wireless terminal110 through a wired medium.

The wireless terminal 110 may include wireless communication subsystem818 to enable wireless communications with access points (e.g., the AP104 of FIG. 1). Although not shown, the wireless terminal 110 may alsohave a long-range communication subsystem to receive messages from, andsend messages to, a cellular wireless network. In the illustratedexamples described herein, the wireless communication subsystem 818 canbe configured in accordance with the IEEE® 802.11 standard. In otherexample implementations, the wireless communication subsystem 818 may beimplemented using a BLUETOOTH® radio, a ZIGBEE® device, a wireless USBdevice, an ultra-wideband radio, a NFC device, or a Radio FrequencyIdentifier (“RFID”) device. For example, in the present disclosure, thewireless communication subsystem 818 includes a NFC subsystem 819. TheNFC subsystem 819 includes a NFC chip 821 (i.e., an NFC component) aswell as a NFC antenna 823. The NFC chip is tuned typically for 13.56MHz. The NFC chip 821 may be, for example, a processor or amicrocontroller-based transmission module that includes analog circuitryand a contact list Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART), aprocessing core and a set of host interfaces. The analog circuitry couldinclude an output driver, an integrated demodulator, a bit decoder, amode detector and an RF-level detector. The contact list UART mayinclude elements for data processing, Cyclical Redundancy Checking(CFC), parity generation, framing generation and check bit coding anddecoding. A set of host interfaces can interface with the microprocessorand interface according to such known standards as I2C, serial UART, SPIand USB.

The wireless terminal 110 may include a user interface for communicatingwith the wireless terminal. The user interface may be a separatecomponent or it may include a speaker 820, a microphone 822, a display824, and a user input interface 826. The display 824 may be a liquidcrystal display, an organic light emitting diode display, a flat paneldisplay, a solid state display, a cathode ray tube, a projector, aprinter (e.g., a three-dimensional (3D) printer) or other now known orlater developed display device for outputting determined information.The user input interface 826 may include alphanumeric keyboard and/ortelephone-type keypad, a multi-direction actuator or roller wheel withdynamic button pressing capability, a touch panel, etc. The networkdiscovery information that is communicated with a network prior toconnection may be communicated with or without each of the userinterfaces described herein. In other words, the speaker, 820, themicrophone 822, the display 824, the user input interface 826, and/orany combination thereof may be omitted in alternative embodiments. Inone embodiment, the wireless terminal 110 is a battery-powered deviceand includes a battery 828 and a battery interface 830.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary access point 104. AP 104 includes aprocessor 902 to perform operations of the AP 104. The processor 902 maybe similar to the processor 802 described above. The AP 104 includes anaccess point message generator 904 to generate network informationcommunications and an access point data parser 906 for retrievingnetwork information communications from the wireless terminal 110 and/orthe private network A 106 as illustrated in FIG. 1. The access pointmessage generator 904 may be similar to the terminal message generator804 of FIG. 8, and the access point data parser 906 may be similar tothe terminal data parser 806 of FIG. 8. As with the terminal messagegenerator 804 and the terminal data parser 806 of FIG. 8, the accesspoint message generator 904 and the access point data parser 906 may beimplemented in software stored on a memory that is executable by theprocessor 902 or may be implemented in hardware with software functionsexecuted by the processor 902. Alternatively, the access point messagegenerator 904 and the access point data parser 906 may be implemented ina wireless communication subsystem (e.g., a wireless communicationsubsystem 912) using any combination of hardware, firmware, and/orsoftware including instructions stored on a tangible computer readablemedium and/or a non-transitory computer readable medium.

The AP 104 may also include a flash memory 908 and a RAM 910, both ofwhich are coupled to the processor 902. The flash memory 908 and/or therandom access memory (“RAM”) 910 may be configured to store networkinformation. The RAM 910 may also be used to generate messages forcommunication with the wireless terminal 110 and/or to the privatenetwork A 106. The RAM 910 may also store received messages communicatedby the wireless terminal 110 and/or the private network 106.

To communicate with wireless terminals such as the wireless terminal110, the AP 104 may include a wireless communication subsystem 912,which may be similar to the wireless communication subsystem 818 of thewireless terminal 110 illustrated in FIG. 8. To communicate with aWLAN-supported network or external network (e.g., the private network ofFIG. 1), the AP 104 may include a network uplink communication interface914.

All of the discussion above, regardless of the particular implementationbeing described, is exemplary in nature, rather than limiting. Althoughspecific components of the present disclosure are described, methods,systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the presentdisclosure may include additional or different components. For example,components of present disclosure may be implemented by one or more of:control logic, hardware, a microprocessor, microcontroller, applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), discrete logic, or a combination ofcircuits and/or logic. Further, although selected aspects, features, orcomponents of the implementations are depicted as hardware or software,all or part of the apparatus and methods consistent with the presentdisclosure may be stored on, distributed across, or read frommachine-readable media, for example, secondary storage devices such ashard disks, floppy disks, and CD-ROMs; a signal received from a network;or other forms of ROM or RAM either currently known or later developed.Any act or combination of acts may be stored as instructions in computerreadable storage medium. Memories may be DRAM, SRAM, flash or any othertype of memory. Programs may be parts of a single program, separateprograms, or distributed across several memories and processors.

The processing capability of the system may be distributed amongmultiple system components, such as among multiple processors andmemories, optionally including multiple distributed processing systems.Parameters, databases, and other data structures may be separatelystored and managed, may be incorporated into a single memory ordatabase, may be logically and physically organized in many differentways, and may implemented in many ways, including data structures suchas linked lists, hash tables, or implicit storage mechanisms. Programsand rule sets may be parts of a single program or rule set, separateprograms or rule sets, or distributed across several memories andprocessors.

It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be understood asan illustration of selected forms that the invention can take and not asa definition of the invention. It is only the following claims,including all equivalents, that are intended to define the scope of thisdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A first device, comprising: a first processorconfigured to: transmit a first message to a second wireless device witha second processor using wireless short-range communication when thefirst device is within communication range of the second wirelessdevice, wherein the first message initiates a registration process witha wireless local area network (WLAN); and receive a response messagefrom the second wireless device in response to transmitting the firstmessage, wherein the response message comprises a device identifier (ID)that identifies the first device and a service set ID (SSID) thatidentifies the WLAN.
 2. The first device of claim 1, wherein thewireless short-range communication includes one of near fieldcommunication (NFC), Bluetooth, Zig bee, wireless universal serial bus,or an ultra-wideband technology.
 3. The first device of claim 1, whereinthe first processor is further configured to determine whether thesecond wireless device is within communication range of the firstdevice.
 4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first devicecomprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA) and wherein thewireless short-range communication comprises near field communication.5. The first device of claim 4, wherein the first processor is furtherconfigured to include a mobile ID within the message, the mobile IDidentifying the non-AP STA.
 6. The first device of claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to automatically transmit the firstmessage to the second wireless device in response to determining thatthe second wireless device is within communication range of the firstdevice.
 7. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first processor isfurther configured to transmit a WLAN registration request in responseto receiving the response message.
 8. The first device of claim 1,wherein the second wireless device comprises an NFC-enabled device. 9.The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a nearfield communication (NFC)-enabled device and the second wireless devicecomprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA).
 10. The first deviceof claim 9, wherein the first processor is further configured to includeat least one of a second device ID or the SSID within the first message,the second device ID identifying the NFC-enabled device and the SSIDidentifying the WLAN.
 11. The first device of claim 9, wherein thenon-AP STA transmits a WLAN registration request message in response tothe first message.
 12. A first wireless device, comprising: a processorconfigured to: receive a first message transmitted from a second deviceusing wireless short-range communication when the first wireless deviceis within communication range of the second device, wherein the firstmessage initiates a registration process with a wireless local areanetwork (WLAN), further wherein the wireless short-range communicationprovides for communications to and from the second device, and whereinthe first message is transmitted by the second device; transmit aresponse message to the second device, the response message comprising adevice identifier (ID) that identifies the first wireless device and aservice set ID (SSID) that identifies the WLAN.
 13. The first wirelessdevice of claim 12, wherein the wireless short-range communicationincludes one of near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, Zig bee,wireless universal serial bus, or an ultra-wideband technology.
 14. Thefirst wireless device of claim 12, wherein the processor receives thefirst message from the second device when the first wireless device iswithin communication range of the second device, the first message beingautomatically transmitted by the second device.
 15. The first wirelessdevice of claim 12, wherein the first wireless device comprises anon-access point station (non-AP STA) and wherein the wirelessshort-range communication comprises near field communication (NFC). 16.The first wireless device of claim 15, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to receive the device ID within the first message, the deviceID identifying a NFC-enabled device.
 17. The first wireless device ofclaim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit a WLANregistration request message in response to the first message.
 18. Thefirst wireless device of claim 17, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to include at least one of the device ID, an ID associatedwith the non-AP STA, or an authentication credential associated with thenon-AP STA within the WLAN registration request message.
 19. The firstwireless device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configuredto transmit an information message in response to receiving the firstmessage.
 20. The first wireless device of claim 19, wherein theprocessor is further configured to include at least one of deviceinformation that identifies the non-AP STA or user information thatidentifies a user of the non-AP STA within the information message. 21.The first wireless device of claim 12, wherein the first wireless devicecomprises a near field communication (NFC)-enabled device and the seconddevice comprises a non-access point station (non-AP STA).
 22. The firstwireless device of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configuredto receive a mobile ID within the first message, the mobile IDidentifying the non-AP STA.
 23. The first wireless device of claim 21,wherein the first message further comprises the device ID.
 24. The firstwireless device of claim 12, wherein the response message furthercomprises at least one of a mobile ID, or a network identifier thatidentifies a network to which the WLAN is connected to or to which theWLAN is associated with within the response message.
 25. A method,comprising: transmitting, by a first device, a first message to a secondwireless device using wireless short-range near field communication(NFC), wherein the first device comprises a near field communication(NFC)-enabled device and the second wireless device comprises anon-access point station (non-AP STA), wherein the first messageinitiates a registration process with a wireless local area network(WLAN), wherein the first message is transmitted to the second wirelessdevice when the first device is within communication range of the secondwireless device; and receiving, in response to the first message, aresponse message that includes a mobile identifier (ID) which is adevice ID that identifies the NFC-enabled device, and a service set ID(SSID) that identifies the WLAN.
 26. The method of claim 25, furthercomprising transmitting a WLAN registration request in response toreceiving the response message.
 27. The method of claim 25, wherein theresponse message includes a mobile identifier (ID), a second device IDthat identifies the non-AP STA, and a service set ID (SSID) thatidentifies the WLAN.
 28. The method of claim 25, wherein the firstmessage includes at least one of the device ID or SSID, the device IDidentifying the NFC-enabled device and the SSID identifying the WLAN.29. The method of claim 25, further comprising transmitting, by thenon-AP STA, a WLAN registration request message in response to the firstmessage.
 30. A method, comprising: receiving, by a first wirelessdevice, a first message transmitted from a second device usingshort-range near field communication (NFC), wherein one of the firstwireless device or the second device is a NFC-enabled device and one isa non-access point station (non-AP STA), such that the first messageincludes a device identifier (ID) identifying the NFC-enabled device,wherein the first message initiates a registration process with awireless local area network (WLAN), wherein the first message isreceived from the second device when the first wireless device is withincommunication range of the second device, the first message beingtransmitted by the second device; and transmitting, by the firstwireless device, a response message to the second device, wherein theresponse message comprises the device ID and a service set ID (SSID)that identifies the WLAN.
 31. The method of claim 30, wherein the firstwireless device comprises the non-access point station (non-AP STA) andthe second device comprises the NFC-enabled device.
 32. The method ofclaim 30, wherein the registration process further comprisestransmitting a WLAN registration request message in response toreceiving the first message.
 33. The method of claim 30, furthercomprising including at least one of the device ID, an identifierassociated with the non-AP STA, or an authentication credentialassociated with the non-AP STA within the WLAN registration requestmessage.
 34. The method of claim 30, further comprising transmitting aninformation message in response to receiving the first message.
 35. Themethod of claim 34, wherein the information message includes at leastone of device information that identifies the non-AP STA or userinformation that identifies a user of the non-AP STA.
 36. The method ofclaim 30, wherein the first wireless device comprises the near fieldcommunication (NFC)-enabled device and the second device comprises thenon-access point station (non-AP STA).
 37. The method of claim 36,wherein the first message includes a mobile ID identifying the non-APSTA.
 38. The method of claim 30, wherein the response message istransmitted in response to the first message.
 39. The method of claim38, wherein the response message further includes at least one of amobile ID, or a network identifier that identifies a network to whichthe WLAN is connected to or to which the WLAN is associated with.